President Vladimir Putin told German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday that Russian citizens and Russian-speakers in Ukraine faced an “unflagging” threat from ultranationalists, and that the measures Moscow has taken were completely fitting given the “extraordinary situation”, the Kremlin said.

In a telephone conversation during which Merkel expressed concern about developments in Ukraine, she and Putin agreed that Russia and Germany would continue consultations in bilateral and multilateral formats to seek the “normalisation” of the situation, a Kremlin statement said.

UPDATE: John Kerry insists that Vlad Putin is now acting out of “weakness” and “desperation.”